Mr B & I recently did the sojourn to the annual ‘Strathalbyn Antiques & Collectibles Fair’ at the beautiful Strathalbyn. Such a pretty town, a short drive from Adelaide, yet firmly in the country. It’s solidly cemented it’s reputation as an ‘antiques’ Mecca – & on anyday you can head on up for a drive & grab something spesh. This particular weekend in August is HUGE & attracts people from all over. My passion is for the market – held on the oval – well, seriously?? What else would you expect Sellers & buyers everywhere, such a great vibe…. I’ll be sure to write up a blog dedicated to the day coming soon!

My share today is a piece I purchased that was destined for a change of life! The fabulous The Vintage Palace had a stand out stall in the midst of the dust & dirt of the oval – set with many a fine old & interesting ware begging for a new life. Such a great eye for detail & unique items to catch the eye! Well, MY little eye spied a most WONDERFUL chippy, huge old frame. I have loooong put out into the universe a desire to FINALLY have a charming pin/style/inspiration board, where I could add all my bits & bobs of inspiration for my next ‘project’ OR just stuff to inspire myself – you gotta LOVE stuff! When Ms Shabby & I had our shops, we did a number of ‘re-purpose’ jobs with old frames – from pin boards to jewellery stands! A useful re-purpose with complete individuality, something I’m looking forward to doing commercially & on order, again soon. My gorgeous frame sang to me – I knew it was the ONE! So home she came…

Here she is in all her 'market' glory - just waiting to enter her new life!

The chippiness was delightful – just the right amount of damage & deterioration! Whilst i’m usually the stickler for leaving ‘as found’, her gold patina had gone just a tad greenish. Hmmmm…there’s a tube of gold metallic paint, just the thing I’d say!! Adding a little water gave it a washed effect, which made it a little gentler a reno. It also blended some of the larger chipped areas that no longer blended by being quite white/light areas – which you can see in the first pic. I found Miss CoCo approved of this addition to the look when I found her licking the frame the next day- yeah, ok?! (its ok, no animal was harmed in the re-purposing of this fame – paint was dry & non- toxic)

As you can see the patina, whilst lovely, was a little washed out & greenish - not quite what I had in mind.

A wash of gold metallic paint start's to make it sing.

After a gentle makeover - still shabby but now looking exceptionally chic!

Miss CoCo gave the sympathetic reno the seal of approval with a little licking of the frame! (note: paint was dry & Non toxic)

Something missing you say?? ah-ha – Next, to add something to actually PIN things on to! I found myself in the $2 shop & besides buying obligatory pink sparkles, as you do, I found a huge cork pinboard – almost the right size, definitely right price! It would only need a little cutting to fit – easy with the handy stanley knife – I love you stanley!

Good on ya Stanley!

Perfect fit Miss Love - even if I do say so myself :-)

There she sat, almost read to go. She was so deserving of more than ‘plain’ cork though, so I made a cunning plan to source some fine vintage fabric. Easy, when you sort your nearly 30 years of collected fabrics! This was what I chose, a nice piece I’d squirreled away from my shop. As its only stapled to the back of the cork, it can easily be removed if I want a change – which, knowing me is highly likely!

New found 'glory days'!

Now..to cover in STUFF!

What else would you christen it with but pink sparkles - well of course!

So here’s the finished product – I think she’s quite proud of herself & feels very special with her now found life & position. Everything can live again, recycle & re-purpose are such lovely partners.. Breathing new life into something old is good for it, good for you & makes this whole world a better place!